The Merry-Go-Round

by W. Somerset Maugham

Excerpt from The Merry-Go-RoundWith one of her relations only, Miss Dwarris found it need ful to observe a certain restraint, for Miss Ley, perhaps the most distant of her cousins, was as plain-spoken as herself, and had, besides, a far keener wit whereby she could turn rash statements to the utter ridicule of the Speaker. Nor did Miss Dwarris precisely dislike this independent Spirit; she looked upon her in fact with a certain degree of affection and not a little fear. Miss Ley, seldom lacking a repartee, ap peared really to enjoy the verbal contests, from which, by her greater urbanity, readiness, and knowledge, she usually emerged it confounded, but at the same time almost amused, the elder lady that a woman so much poorer than herself, with no smaller claims than others to the cov eted inheritance, should venture not only to be facetious at her expense, but even to carry war into her very camp. Miss Ley, really not grieved to find some one to whom without prickings of conscience she could speak her whole mind, took a grim pleasure in pointing out to her cousin the poor logic of her observations or the foolish unreason of her acts. N o cherished Opinion of Miss Dwarris was safe from satire - even her evangelicism was laughed at, and the rich old woman, un used to argument, was easily driven into self-contradiction.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, British Literature, 20th Century, Literary Fiction, Romance, Short Stories

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1904

About the author

William Somerset Maugham was born in Paris in 1874. He spoke French even before he spoke a word of English, a fact to which some critics attribute the purity of his style.

His parents died early and, after an unhappy boyhood, which he recorded poignantly in Of Human Bondage, Maugham became a qualified physician. But writing was his true vocation. For ten years before his first success, he almost literally starved while pouring out novels and plays.

Maugham wrote at a time when experimental modernist literature such as that of William Faulkner, Thomas Mann, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf was gaining increasing popularity and winning critical acclaim. In this context, his plain prose style was criticized as 'such a tissue of clichés' that one's wonder is finally aroused at the writer's ability to assemble so many and at his unfailing inability to put anything in an individual way.

During World War I, Maugham worked for the British Secret Service . He travelled all over the world, and made many visits to America. After World War II, Maugham made his home in south of France and continued to move between England and Nice till his death in 1965.

At the time of Maugham's birth, French law was such that all foreign boys born in France became liable for conscription. Thus, Maugham was born within the Embassy, legally recognized as UK territory.

Reviews

[Chrissie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a disappointment to me for primarily three reasons:
1. The book describes characters worried about social convention. I wanted to shake them, to tell them to stop worrying about what other people think and to think for themselves. The empty talk of such characters, their gossip and tittle-tattle at parties and social gatherings bored me.
2. Couples and mismatched partners fight incessantly, have adulterous relationships or in one way or another behave despicably. The realism, the authenticity of the unrelentingly miserable relationships made the story wearisome and unpleasant to listen to. Listening became a chore.
3. The story is too long and too drawn out. The novel flips between disconnected stories about so-called “friends” that meet up off and on. A number of couples’ relationships are to be observed; through them the author delivers a message. The story does not hold together, except as a platform for delivering a message.

At the end, I saw what the author intended to say--in this disconnected, long and drawn out fashion. I am going to tell you what I believe Maugham is saying; it is just my opinion, so I do not consider it a spoiler. A person must follow their heart and their own personal convictions. One should NOT do what is correct, what one ought-to-do, what one should do if your head and heart does not wholly support this so-called “proper choice”. What are the consequences of NOT following your heart? What are the consequences when that which one passionately desires is morally wrong? Obviously, the best is if your heart and your convictions motivate you to do that which is morally right. And if motivated in another direction, what then? Most of the characters live their lives with little consideration of such questions. The questions are instead posed by readers as the different relationships are juxtaposed. The whole becomes analytical rather than captivating because one does not adequately empathize with the characters.

The story plays out in London at the turn of the 20th century. Life then and there in the big city was viewed as and called the “merry-go-round” life!

If I describe this as a typical Edith Wharton story, but set in London, I think you will know what I mean. Such a story might very well fit you better than it fits me.

The audiobook is very well narrated by Eva Karpf. Her intonations capture the respective characters’ personalities well. Different accents, for example Cockney and Queen’s English, male and female voices, straight-laced speeches, jocular and drunken dialogs are all well performed.

My ratings of Maugham’s books:
Then and Now 5 stars
Mrs Craddock 4 stars
Cakes and Ale 4 stars
The Painted Veil 4 stars
The Verger 4 stars
Liza of Lambeth 3 stars
The Razor's Edge 3 stars
The Magician 3 stars
Up at the Villa 3 stars
Christmas Holiday 3 stars
Theatre 2 stars
The Moon and Sixpence 2 stars
Of Human Bondage 2 stars
The Merry-Go-Round 1 star

[Susana · Rating 4 out of 5]

(review in English below)

Mas que boa decisão esta de reler Somerset Maugham!
Escolhi este porque estava mais à mão (a maior parte dos livros que li deste autor são da minha mãe), mas acredito que teria sentido o mesmo se tivesse escolhido qualquer outro.

A escrita de Maugham é, ao mesmo tempo, simples e rica, com diálogos brilhantes, cheios de considerações sobre a vida feitas, em geral, com muito humor mas, por vezes, também com alguma carga dramática.

A caracterização dos personagens e dos ambientes é feita duma forma precisa e na justa medida, ou seja, Maugham faz-nos sentir que podíamos estar lá e conhecer aquelas pessoas mas não exagera nas descrições, deixando muitas vezes o leitor apreender as sensações dos diferentes ambientes e desvendar a personalidade de cada personagem através da acção e dos diálogos.

Gostei que a história tivesse vários focos de interesse, relacionados principalmente com questões do coração, e que têm um ponto central na personagem de Miss Ley - a imagem do carrossel aplica-se perfeitamente a esta estrutura narrativa que, para mim, funcionou muito bem, mantendo sempre o leitor com vontade de querer saber como terminaria cada enredo.

Confirmei, portanto, que a minha memória não me enganou e que Somerset Maugham é realmente um autor cuja leitura me dá um grande prazer, pelo que, como já tinha pensado, vou reler todos, ou quase todos, os seus livros, mais tarde ou mais cedo.

Para quem nunca leu nada de Maugham, não sabe o que perde!...

P.S. Quem tem paciência para ler as minhas reviews já deve estar um pouco farto(a) das constantes queixas sobre as traduções/revisões, mas na verdade não consigo deixar de lamentar a falta de cuidado revelada por estes supostos profissionais, que se torna ainda mais desesperante quando se percebe (mesmo através de frases com defeituosa construção gramatical em português e erros idiotas) a espantosa qualidade da escrita de um determinado autor, como é o caso.

Ainda mais me irrita o facto de isto acontecer mesmo em livros editados há mais tempo, antes deste "boom" dos últimos anos, em que a quantidade astronómica de livros editados por mês até podia justificar traduções e revisões mais desleixadas...

Am I glad I decided to reread Somerset Maugham!
I chose this one because it was at hand (most of the books I read by this author belong to my mom), but I believe I would've felt the same had I chosen any other.

Maugham's writing is, at once, simple and rich, with brilliant dialogues, full of considerations about life, usually made with lots of humour but, sometimes, also of dramatic nature.

Character and ambience characterization is precise and in due measure, I mean, Maugham makes us feel we could've been there and meet those people but he doesn't overwork his descriptions, often leaving it to the reader to get the feeling of the different ambiences and to unveil the personality of each character through action and dialogue.

I appreciated that the story had several centres of attention, mainly related to matters of the heart, with a pivot played by Miss Ley - the merry-go-round model perfectly applies to this narration structure which worked beautifully in my opinion, always keeping the reader hooked on how each plot would develop.

So, my memory served me well and Somerset Maugham is truly an author from which I get great pleasure. For that reason, and as I'd already thought, I'm going to reread all, or nearly all, of his books, sooner or later.

Those of you who never read Maugham, you don't know what you're missing!...

[Duane Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Edwardian England, a small circle of characters who seemingly have nothing better to do than go through life making bad choices, and in typical English fashion, see them through to the bloody end. It appeared to me to be an English version of one of Edith Wharton's New York stories, but not as good.

[Lubov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just can`t understand why this book is so underestimated. I`ve finished it for 2 days as I was so engrossed by it that I literally couldn`t put it away. This novel is life itself full of precious experience. Presented as a merry-go round life is a chain of ups and downs, right and bad choices in lifes of different people. A rich woman obsessed by an insolent gigalo. Blinded by love she can`t realize the nature of his character.Young man uncapable to fight the sense of duty. Spinster finding the light in the darkness and losing it too soon . Actually all these people were struggling to achieve happiness. In the centre of this merry-go-round we can see a spectator of all the events -Mrs. Ley -old spinster who is a friend to all main characters.She is trying to guide them and give some advice throughout the novel. While reading not once did I wish I had a friend like her, shrewd and bright , ready to listen and guide when needed.

I do believe in the incredible value of the book. After reading it one can make some useful conclusions.

[Bettie]

Wandaful found the link: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/47229

Opening: ALL her life Miss Elizabeth Dwarris had been a sore trial to her relations. A woman of means, she ruled tyrannously over a large number of impecunious cousins, using her bank-balance like the scorpions of Rehoboam to chastise them, and, like many another pious creature, for their soul’s good making all and sundry excessively miserable. Nurtured in the evangelical ways current in her youth, she insisted that her connections should seek salvation according to her own lights; and, with harsh tongue and with bitter gibe, made it her constant business to persuade them of their extreme unworthiness. She arranged lives as she thought fit, and ventured not only to order the costume and habits, but even the inner thought of those about her: the Last Judgment could have no terrors for any that had faced her searching examination. She invited to stay with her in succession various poor ladies who presumed on a distant tie to call her Aunt Eliza, and they accepted her summons, more imperious than a royal command, with gratitude by no means unmixed with fear, bearing the servitude meekly as a cross which in the future would meet due testamentary reward.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is lesser Maugham, an early book that reflects his struggles to master his own style and technique, but which is nevertheless engaging and entertaining, and at points deeply moving (if absurdly melodramatic). Maugham himself regarded his approach in this book as affected and "precious," and wrote later that he was afraid to let himself go. It shows. At time it seems that he is channeling Oscar Wilde, a very un-Maugham voice that comes off as overly-stylized. In some respects it reads more like the kind of drawing room plays that Maugham was writing at the time (with huge success), and rather less like the novels he became famous for. And yet I found myself quickly engaged with the three tales that whirl around the central narrator, Miss Ley--a shrewd, witty, cynical but compassionate spinster who connects the otherwise disparate subplots, and keeps you reading. And I loved some of the marginal characters, the snobberies and petty schemes that so blindly occupy them. It's not for Maugham virgins, but fans will find plenty.

[Gwynplaine26th · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Medico e scrittore inglese attivo soprattutto nella prima metà del secolo scorso, William Somerset Maugham descrive un periodo di cambiamenti profondi nella società inglese (l’era vittoriana era appena terminata).

La Londra borghese degli inizi del 900 è la società ipocrita che abbiamo imparato a conoscere con Dickens, Galsworthy, Trollope, vittima dei propri pregiudizi e regolata dal dio denaro. Un palcoscenico che ha come attori tre coppie che, dopo varie peripezie, finiscono per incontrare il loro destino, non sempre felice.

L’intreccio è piacevole, la lettura scorre veloce con il consueto stile brillante di Maugham.

[Tracy Pham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I describe Maugham's books as "tragically beautiful" but enlightening. His writing is beautiful and full of detail and life. I am learning a bunch of vocabulary words! Other than that, The Merry go - round has a bunch of characters where their stories get a bit jumpy but there is definitely development. I was quite surprised with how things turned out with some of them. I was rooting for Miss Ley and Frank in the end but well, can't get what we want...*spinster for lyfe* I guess, haha. Maugham definitely left their story open ended...

I especially loved how this book brings up the theme about one's sense of duty. Maugham does bring up a lot of religious contexts and morals. Especially when it comes to adultery, temptations and other sins like gossip, drinking, gambling, etc but Miss Ley, who is known to openly speak her mind oddly balances out everyone's lives and while pointing out their flaws, she's sets them straight. Also, while it is good to be righteous and even though feel it is ones duty to not give into temptation, one shouldn't neglect his or her life from the pleasures of what life is to offer like love, happiness with people, friends or marriage.

I also see it in a Christian point of view of how God loves. Although God is our father and he has his laws and rules but he is also a just God and loving God. Yes, he punishes but he does not keep us kept prisoner from things in life that makes us unhappy. We are free. Seeing how these character's have kept others prisoner and entrapped based on their own selfish desires, it makes sense that the characters would rebel and go against their authority.

Anyway, I could go on and on. This book has tons of life lessons and advice, haha I took notes and underlined a lot of Maugham's writing!

[Noel Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book feels like a warm up for Of Human Bondage but it also feels a bit like Middlemarch. It’s very good but it dawdles in places, not enough to cost it a ratings hit from me but enough that I don’t feel right not mentioning it. This is to Of Human Bondage what Jean Santeuil is to In Search of Lost Time; I probably don’t have enough Proust-reading friends for that to mean anything to anyone but I hope it means something to a couple of you. 😂

[Perry Whitford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A loose circle of Edwardian friends make some bad life choices and learn some hard but valuable lessons, overseen by a sympathetic spinster.

Miss Ley conceals her deep concern for her friends behind a frosty exterior and an acid tongue. A keen observer of human nature, in their time of crisis she is always on hand to give the right advice for each individual, regardless of how harsh it at appear.

Basil Kent, the son of an adulteress socialite mother, wants to do the right thing by a barmaid he gets pregnant. The wise Miss Ley questions his motives ("Are you sure you don't admire too much your heroic attitude?") and provides this counsel, the novel's key message:

"I think you're a fool, but then most people are. They never realise that they only have one life, and mistakes are irreparable. They play with it as though it were a game of chess in which they could try this move and that, and when they get in a muddle, sweep the board clear and begin again."

Also benefitting from Miss Ley's ministrations are Bella Langton, an old maid who begins an unlikely friendship with a young, sickly would-be poet, Herbert Field; Mrs. Castillyon, an attractive socialite bored with her husband who has an affair with a caddish womaniser named Reggie Bennett, a fling which escalates into a tempestuous relationship of dependency and exploitation; and the friend she is closest to, bachelor Dr Frank Hurrell, a staunch materialist who despises spirituality.

For an early novel by Maugham, The Merry-Go-Round surprised me with just how satisfying it was, both intellectually and emotionally. For some reason I expected something stuffier and lacking in heart. I was very pleased to be wrong.

The bad choices made were followed through with a fair amount of depth, the plot developments which brought self-awareness to the characters were highly effective, nobody was portrayed as lacking in dimension.

Surely an underrated novel.

[Xenja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romanzo giovanile di Maugham (fuori stampa, ma facilmente reperibile in versione e-book, nella vecchia edizione Newton Compton purtroppo, come sempre piena di refusi e mal tradotta), non ancora giunto alla maturità espressiva, un po’ rozzo ma tuttavia efficace e avvincente. Le storie di quattro giovanotti dell’alta società londinese si incrociano nel salotto di una ricca zitella cinica e saggia (che poi altri non è che miss Ley, la zia di Bertha, protagonista del romanzo La signora Craddock). E tra i quattro giovanotti c’è, naturalmente, anche un autoritratto del giovane medico Maugham. Dopo un po’ di disordine iniziale, le quattro storie si avviano con slancio e sono molto coinvolgenti. Come devo aver già scritto, non c’è nessuno come Maugham per raccontare le storie di passione, di adulterio, le ossessioni e le schermaglie amorose, i tradimenti, le gelosie, i parossismi d’angoscia. Un certo eccesso di melodramma, che con la maturità è sparita dai suoi romanzi, viene compensato dalla pungente ironia della simpatica miss Ley. E’ incomparabile, di Maugham, il tratto acuto, preciso, semplice e sicuro come un bisturi nell’analisi dei sentimenti, la resa autentica e viva dei dialoghi tra amanti e tra coniugi: in queste pagine ci sono battute che ognuno di noi, nella vita, ha detto almeno una volta.

[Everett · Rating 5 out of 5]

As good as anything he had ever written and his most delightfully witty and campy heroine, Miss Ley returns and is at her finest here. Can´t say too many good things about Maugham, who has become by far, my favorite writer.

[Laura]

Free download available at Project Gutenberg.

[Annabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's wonderful to end 2019 and start 2020 with a book by my favorite novelist and short storyteller, W.S. Maugham. Sadly, this also means there now remains only two or three books of his which I have yet to read.

This novel could count as a series of short stories about characters whose social lives overlap at the drawing and dining rooms of mother confessor extraordinaire, one Miss Ley. Who, with her trusty sidekick, Frank Hurrell, doctor by profession, philosopher/existentialist by inclination, and indispensable friend by circumstance, documents and dissects their friends' as well as their own life narratives. It is a book hard to put down the way Gossip Girl was hard to give up. Come to think of it, the characters, plot and storylines here could well be the progenitor of some GG episodes. Which in no way diminishes the book's literary impact on me. I am familiar with the usual recipe called for in a Maugham novel of this period and location, which is almost (but not quite) like that of Edith Wharton's old New York and its class-conscious cast of characters: luncheons at one, weekends at the country estate, abysmal misalliances and indiscretions, and heels a-plenty. What I didn't expect was the redemptive spirit that concludes each protagonist's story (one particularly offensive character's bildungsroman comes as a revelation, almost impossible to comprehend, at the end). Maugham can be ruthless when it comes to his characters, especially with society women who have so heedlessly and intentionally fallen from grace. And yet here we have a character who so brazenly careened from grace, but gains carte blanche redemption at the end: the very aptly named Grace Castillyon.

Three a half stars (because Goodreads doesn't do half stars).

[Hryuh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Карусель мне понравилась больше всего, но я люблю такой жанр. Что-то вроде Контрапункта, но не настолько мощно. У Моэма нет верного и неверного, он как будто показывает, что универсальных ответов нет и не может быть, ибо человеческая натура - это беспокойная река, в которой каждый сам прокладывает себе путь. И это очень истинно - его истории любви (с немалой долей адюльтеров - почти все книги про это по сути) всё-таки разнообразны и богаты на чувства, которые не кажутся надуманными или напыщенными. Хотя некоторую схематичность я бы могла накидать, но это уже такое... Забавно, что сам Моэм потрахивал всё, что движется, обоих полов, будучи женатым, но про содомский грех пишет крайне обтекаемо и намеками, не более того.
А ещё мне понравилась идея о том, что быть честным и благодетельным человеком - не всегда равно нести благо другим людям, иногда как раз лучше поступить не так прекрасно и этически чисто, чтобы насильно не вкручиваться в туннель вымощенный благими намерениями.

[Ffiamma · Rating 3 out of 5]

maugham in tono leggermente minore, con la vena sarcastica leggermente annacquata (anche se parte benissimo, in tal senso) e qualche moraleggiamento frusto sparso qui e là. in ogni caso, questa giostra di personaggi, vite, intrecci, gioie e tragedie è garbata, gradevole e con qualche pagina memorabile che fa perdonare l'eccesso di melassa e melodramma. niente di eccezionale, ma a uno dei miei autori del cuore perdono questo e altro.

[Lee Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as "pretty people with pretty problems" novels go, this one has something for everyone--a pregnant barmaid; a poor poet dying of consumption; imperious, demanding old women; a regretted affair. It's not to be classed with Maugham's masterpieces, but this early work was still highly satisfactory.

[Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this is one of Maugham's earlier, less-known novels, I enjoyed it as much as any of the latter ones. While the first chapter alone contains the witty dialogue and character maneuvering that we've loved on "Downtown Abbey", the rest of this complex melodrama is follows suit with equally delicious scenes and morally ambiguous individuals. Highly recommended for any Maugham fan

[Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read William Somerset Maugham, I am more impressed with character development than plot. This book left me with that same impression.

[Chris Waterford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Maugham's writing but this book of English manners and class and relationships was a bit tedious for me.. I had trouble keeping track of all the characters.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Lacks some of the human detail I'd expect from Maugham. Very melodramatic at times.

[Tububa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a loosely assembled collection of subplots about relationships that should not have been:

Mrs. Castillyon and Reggie Bassett: she is a married woman hopelessly in love with a young rogue who treats her abominably.

Bella and Herbert: she is a middle aged woman and he has tuberculosis, which of course is a slow death sentence in an early 20th century novel. She selflessly marries him to be his nurse. This plot line is the reason the book gets 2 stars rather than the mediocre 3; it is so nauseatingly saccarine that I rolled my eyes more than I've ever done while reading a Maugham book.

Basil Kent and Jenny: he is a barrister in training, she is a barmaid in trouble. He got her in trouble, that is. Instead of packing her off to the country with a payoff, as any reasonable gentleman would do, he marries her. The baby is stillborn. Predictable drama and misery ensue. Again, the end here is inevitable: she kills herself. He marries Mrs. Murray, a widow he's had the hots for the whole time. There's a dose of saccarine in that ending, too.

The only happy relationship here is the friendship between Miss Ley and Frank, the two "fifth business" characters who are mostly there to tie the book together and deliver common-sense judgment on the lovesick fools around them.

The title is explained shortly before the end, but I can't remember the explanation anymore (even though I read it only two nights ago). It does make a certain sense as a description of the plot structure: we see each pair of characters as they blow by us, and the book cycles between them.

I read in Selena Hastings's biography of Maugham that this book had been considerably shortened from the original draft on the advice of Maugham's friend. I think it should have been shortened some more, and a bit more thought should have been given to how to intertwine the plot lines together. There is enough material here for a tighter, leaner book. It's disappointing that this follows Mrs. Craddock, which is one of my favorites by Maugham--an infinitely better book than The Merry-Go-Round.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was an interesting story of human character. Maugham constantly depicts the weakness of humans as they strive to reach a sense of happiness, or actually, equilibrium. Most reviews depict this as a melodramatic story of Edwardian England, but in truth it is a universal story of striving and seeking happiness that just happens to be set in Edwardian London. The various characters and stories who are loosely tied together by the dowager Miss Ley could occur in any place from the outback of Australia to the modern English serial East Enders. Of course, the stories are colored by Maugham's own life and some of the struggles encountered, such as a dedication to a gentleman's honor are rarely found outside of that milieu, but are nevertheless struggles that people do encounter and are as valid as any other human struggle. Maugham depicts the society and the period excellently. One feels that one is walking through London in its omnipresent drizzle and unending society parties. One unexplored theme, and beyond this review, is that virtually all of the romances in the book involve younger men with older women, which is quite rare at the time. I thought the denouement was sad as poor Jennie, the working class wife of gentleman Basil takes her life as she is rejected by him. He is depicted as an honorable fool for marrying her, yet he goes on to a life of satisfaction while she is gone. Maugham could have better developed her character and her worldview which would have been more realistic. Rather she was a prop used to question the virtues of honor and to provide character and plot development to Basil Kent.

[Jim Lavery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally read this around 40 years ago. I’ve been on such a losing streak with current fiction lately that I thought going back to novels that I had really enjoyed , but were not well remembered, was an option I needed to take.

Good decision. This book felt entirely new - none of it familiar. That doesn’t hold a negative connotation; I read so many books way back when that there’s no way I could have a clear recollection of very many of them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish. The characters were all engaging and many of them so very likeable. I really enjoyed everything about Miss Ley. Her conversations with other characters in the novel were just a blast to read. I also enjoyed Dr. Frank immensely. And I found myself laughing out loud during some of the scenes that featured Reggie.

Some of Maugham’s ruminations on death were sobering and almost frightening. But - beautifully written and in the end, hopeful.

Can’t wait to get my hands on some other Maugham books that I read so many years ago. I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to figure out that my reading life would be greatly improved by returning to my old favorites.

[Paulo Teixeira · Rating 3 out of 5]

(PT) Um grupo de pessoas, no Reino Unido do principio de século XX, cujas vidas estão unidas por uma personagem, a Miss Ley, uma solteirona de meia-idade que assiste a tudo sem perder a oportunidade de largar algumas verdades sobre a ilusão das aparências.

Sommerset Maugham escreveu este livro sobre um Reino Unido que saía da era vitoriana, onde as aparências ainda eram importantes e onde por baixo delas se viam cartas coisas a acontecerem e não serem dignas de damas e cavalheiros. Maugham escrevia sobre essa hipocrisia subjacente e como havia pessoas que pouco ou nada se interessavam com aquilo que os outros diriam, mesmo que causasse escândalo.

Pessoalmente, acho este livro datado. Mas apesar disso, é um belo espelho de como as coisas eram vistas nessa altura, e como agora, certos gestos e certas atitudes são totalmente desproporcionadas. Mas em termos de fator humano, nesse campo, é definitivamente atual.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I wanted to like this more than I did. I love Maugham for many reasons and he has a wide scope for all his novels, but this one in particular just reminded me of a 19th century soap opera with super-headstrong idiots making idiotic choices.

Sure, Maugham referred to London, itself, as the Merry-Go-Round, but I think it's more proper to call the PEOPLE within it the Merry-Go-Round. They hop on each other and hop off each other with such random glee, picking another griffin or dolphin or dragon whenever it pleases them, spilling all their drinks and cotton candy all over the ride -- and these are ADULTS, mind you, behaving so abominably, and they don't seem to care if they step on anyone. Not even kids! *gasp*


Honestly, it's like a poor-man's Edith Wharton. It's decent for what it is and it reminds me of a ton of other Manners fiction, but to me, some of the characters sucked all the enjoyment out of it.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the component elements of this book more than the whole. Miss Ley is great, but she seems a bit shoehorned in to make all the disparate stories feel connected. They are really not connected.

Maugham also comes off as a bit confused about where he (or his narrator) stands on class issues. When the intellectual Basil marries a barmaid he knocked up it's a tragedy; when the pretentious Reginald marries an actress who's entrapped him it's the making of him. Some aspects could have been more fully developed - for example, Basil and Hilda's regret over their actions.

But the writing is sparkling, the era is my favourite (yay fin de siecle), and I can forgive a lot because of Frank's weary rant about the thanklessness of doctoring, which hasn't changed in the subsequent hundred years. The first Maugham of many.

[Agnese · Rating 4 out of 5]

A skillful narration of more or less dramatic, tragic or common events that may happen to everyone in the merry-go-round of life. This is just the background, as what is interesting ad captivating in the book are the characters, so thoroughly sculpted by the author. They all are lively, dealing with the conventions of their times in different ways: some are convinced bigots, afraid of any adjustment that could destabilize their reality; others, though attentive to social judgments, are more prone to change their minds, careless of the consequences, and go after their passions; very few, finally, are detached, reject narrow social codes and try to embrace life beyond formalities, with a practical yet enchanted and free spirit. The dialogs are brilliant; I had fun discovering the different mindsets.
Conventions have just in part changed since then, but society has not, still mostly governed by rigidity of mind in the inconsiderate pursuit of self-interest.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this early Somerset Maugham in which various tales spin around Miss Ley, a wise spinster. They include a married friend who cannot bring herself to get rid of a young gigolo with whom she is having an ill-judged affair. And also Basil Kent, whose equally ill-judged moral view to marry and stand by a barmaid whom he gets pregnant, which ruins his life, when less scrupulous men would have cast her aside. Moral questions and human weakness aside, it's always a pleasure to be in the elevated company of Mr. Somerset Maugham, a titan from a different age when one could reference the "scorpions of Rehoboam" with some expectation of being understood.

[Aditya Mallya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of Maugham's earlier works, and it is evident the writer hadn't yet perfected the deceptively spare style that would later become his hallmark. I'm not sure I understood what the point was of the various sub-plots in this novella, or how they connected to each other. However, even in one of his lesser works, Maugham is still characteristically Maugham: insightful, sardonic and readable.